Cosi fan Tutte
Cosi fan Tutte
Posted: 18 Nov 2009
ALL THE SAME IN LOVE AND WAR
Cosi fan Tutte, Opera North, Theatre Royal Newcastle
Mozart’s endearing comedy of romantic cross-deception is an enduring favourite, and Opera North opens its Newcastle season with a first-class production.
The machinations of the old philosopher, Don Alfonso, to win a wager with his friends Ferrando and Guglielmo over the loyalty of their lovers, sisters Fiordiligi and Dorabella, lead to near-catastrophe for all.
Pretending that the men, who agree to follow Alfonso’s instructions for 24 hours, must leave for war service, Alfonso bribes the sisters’ lady’s-maid, Despina – coquettishly and cleverly played by Amy Freston – to introduce a mysterious pair of foreign suitors to the unwitting sisters. They are, of course, Ferrando and Guglielmo in exotic garb, and, inevitably, Fiordiligi and Dorabella fall for the alternative men.
Alfonso’s point is to prove that – Cosi fan Tutte – all women are the same; and, point proven, he ultimately wins his bet.
Sung in English, there are hurdles in translation that add to the comedy element, and if the words do not flow as easily as in the original, at least the audience can comprehend.
And comprehend the full-house audience did, with a warm ovation for all the cast of six.
Elizabeth Atherton and Victoria Simmonds as the sisters, Allan Clayton and Quirijn de Lang as the suitors, Geoffrey Dolton as Don Alfonso, and Amy Freston as, alternately, the maid, a doctor, and a lawyer, all sing competently if not spectacularly.
But the heart of Cosi is in the humour, and on that and many other counts, Opera North serves up a winner.
Anne Graham
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